Daylily is a wonderful perennial that can become a real decoration of the garden. Just 15-20 years ago, there were only five species and several varieties of a beautiful flower. But now the number of hybrids and varieties has exceeded one and a half hundred. And most likely the breeders will not stop there, and therefore in the near future we can expect the appearance of new varieties of daylily.
Plant characteristics
Daylilies belong to the Xanthorrhoeae family. Their homeland is East Asia. Beautiful flowers are familiar to people since ancient times. However, the scientific name for the plant was given by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is believed that daylily is not whimsical at all. However, this statement is true for wild species. As for modern hybrids, you need to know certain rules for caring for them.
Daylily flowers are usually funnel-shaped and collected in inflorescences of several pieces. At the same time, no more than three buds can bloom. The bush can delight flowering for up to three weeks, and it can have several peduncles. Their height depends on the variety and can range from 30 centimeters to a meter, depending on the variety. After flowering, a trihedral seed box is formed. However, daylily seeds are not of particular interest to gardeners.
Gardeners use green plant varieties and cultivars and hybrids for landscaping.
Plant varieties
A daylily description would not be complete if you do not recall the variety of varieties and species of this beautiful flower. Of course, telling about everyone is simply impossible. Natural species are very easy to care for, and therefore very popular. Such plants can often be seen behind the fence sites, because they are incredibly unpretentious. These include daylily yellow, orange, Middendorff.
All other representatives are hybrids. There are incredibly many varieties - more than 60,000. Of particular interest to gardeners are terry daylilies (double). Such flowers have additional petals near the perianth. The most popular varieties of this type: Double Classic, Double Dream, Double River Wye, Night Amber, etc.
No less interesting are day-lily daylilies. The flowers of such plants look like spiders. Varieties Mint octopus, Grape witch, Star twister and many others belong to this species.
There is also a group of aromatic daylilies. It was named so because of the wonderful aroma exuded by flowers. The honeycombs of this type include: Katerina Woodbury, Apple Spearing, Pandora Boxing.
Many gardeners are fans of white daylilies. There are many such varieties. However, white flowers are conditional. They are very close to this shade, but painted in different shades. Purely white daylilies simply do not exist.
In household plots, people often plant variegated forms, pleasing with their beauty. Among the varieties the most popular are Night Bacon, Best Seller, Masquerade, Arctic Snow, Darla Anita, Musaka, Macbeth and others.
Where to grow daylily?
Planting and plant care are not difficult. However, for the flower, you must choose the right place on the site. In natural habitats daylilies grow among shrubs, at the edges of forests, so it may seem that plants need partial shade. This is actually not the case. In our climate, beautiful flowers need to be planted only in sunny places, especially when it comes to hybrid varieties. Daylilies need to get a lot of light and heat.
The soil
Experienced gardeners always recommend using daylilies for decorating personal plots. Planting and caring for them are not so difficult, but in gratitude you get beautiful flowers. Despite the fact that the plant is considered unpretentious, it is still worth following the elementary rules of care, which will achieve magnificent and long flowering.
Daylily cultivation is possible on any soil. But still, when planting, it is worth lowering the root of the plant into the soil that he likes. Daylilies prefer loams rich in organic matter. The main condition for a successful landing is not to use depleted land.
Experts recommend adding compost and sand to clay soils, and some clay to sand. The ideal soil option is rich loam with excellent drainage. As for acidity, the soil should be slightly acidic or neutral.
When choosing a place for a flower bed with daylilies, it is necessary to take into account that plants need freedom. They do not like the presence of large competitors nearby, who can claim their place in the sun. Light varieties must certainly be placed in the sun. But darker ones can be defined in light partial shade. In order to simplify planting and caring for daylilies, choose places that are not flooded in the spring. In addition, the roots of the plant should not be located near the occurrence of groundwater.
Time for landing
Daylily flowers are able to please their hosts for many years. The plant generally refers to centenarians. It can grow in one place without transplanting up to fifteen years. This is worth remembering when choosing a place to land. The most lush flowering plants delight only the first five to seven years. After peduncles, it becomes much smaller, and the flowers on them fade. For this reason, every couple of years, plants are transplanted, dividing bushes into parts. They perfectly tolerate a similar procedure.
Nevertheless, planting daylilies and care in the open ground for them require some knowledge. You can plant a plant from the beginning of spring until late autumn. Spring planting is always very successful. Young plants are quickly taken and rooted, blooming in the same year. Landing is best done at a time when there is no more frost. If you have already purchased planting material, and the weather is not happy, do not worry. By digging the plants in the sand, you will save its root system and wait for the optimal conditions for planting.
In the summer, planting is also quite safe provided that regular watering is organized. But in the fall, plants do not always have time to take root, and therefore there is a certain risk that by spring it will not get stronger.
Daylilies: planting and care in the open ground
Planting crops is not too different from planting other plants. Acquired seedlings must be sorted out by removing dry or damaged roots. An hour before planting, the plants are placed in a solution with mineral fertilizers.
It is necessary in advance to prepare pits up to thirty centimeters deep. They must be located at a distance of half a meter from each other. A perennial plant grows very quickly, so it needs a place. Light and loose substrate is poured into the pits. You can prepare the mass from a mixture of humus, peat, sand. It is also worth adding a little ash and fertilizers (phosphorus-potash). In each hole we place a seedling and sprinkle it on top of the ground. Then we water the plant and again sprinkle with soil.
Plant transplant
Among the avid summer residents there are many fans of daylilies. Planting and caring for the culture are quite simple, but because people decorate their personal plots with it. However, daylily bushes grow quite quickly and the question arises of transplantation. To do this, you need to dig a plant from all sides. And then remove it from the earth along with an earthen lump.
Then they clean the soil and try to carefully divide the bush into parts. If the roots are very tightly woven, then they can be cut with a knife or secateurs. Places of cuts after are treated with coal. Next, the seedlings are planted on the prepared site.
Seed propagation
The plant can also be propagated by seeds. However, this method is the most unsuccessful. This is due to the germination of the seeds themselves. They are moody in storage. In addition, they need to be germinated at home, planting young plants in the ground. In general, this method has not justified itself, and therefore is little used. Daylilies are much easier to propagate by dividing the bush.
Plant care
After planting, daylilies only need watering, periodic loosening of the soil and weeding of weeds as needed. In the warm period, an actively growing culture needs a fairly plentiful watering. Notice the lack of moisture by the appearance of the plant. The foliage immediately becomes faded. Also, the plant can drop buds. Perennials are very fond of additional moisture in the summer. Therefore, they can be planted near ponds or arrange small sprinkling.
In the summer, during the heat season, daylilies need to be watered abundantly. Soil should get wet by 20-30 centimeters. If the summer is not so hot, then you can moisten the earth less often, but at the same time monitor the condition of the foliage. It is best to water the plants in the morning or evening, because at this time there is no risk of getting sunburn on daylilies. Planting and plant care, as you can see, are no different from caring for other plants. If everything is done correctly, then even plants planted in spring can bloom in summer.
In the first year, daylilies usually do not feed. It will be possible to introduce complex mineral fertilizers already next spring. When choosing a remedy, it is worth paying attention to formulations with a moderate content of such a substance as nitrogen. Since it causes a lush growth of foliage to the detriment of beautiful flowering. Over the summer, perennial bushes are fed no more than two times. But in early autumn, you can add potash and phosphorus fertilizers to prepare for the winter period.
In principle, daylilies are frost-resistant. However, they may suffer if there is little snow. Therefore, it is better to cover the plant for the winter with any improvised materials. After the beginning of the mass thaw and melting of snow, it is necessary to open the plants, since a root may appear on the root necks.
Care after flowering
After flowering, the plant also needs care depending on the species. So, for example, deciduous forms after withering of flowers immediately begin to turn yellow, foliage gradually dries out, so it is later cut. For winter, plants can not be covered, since such varieties are winter hardy.
Semi-evergreen and evergreen varieties are not prone to wilting greens. They are sheltered for the winter in cold regions and in those where winters are snowless or with little snow. To form a shelter, you can use dry branches, sawdust, straw.
Plant pests
We have already mentioned that daylilies are very unpretentious. In addition, they are little susceptible to all kinds of ailments. In general, the plant can be called very resistant. Most of the pests are scared away by the strong aroma of the flower. And yet there are insects that can harm the plant. For example, these are thrips. They penetrate from the earth and feed on the plant's juices, as a result of which it becomes weak. There is no effective method of controlling thrips, so it is recommended to dig up a diseased bush and remove it from the site together with a lump, or better, burn the plant.
Another dangerous pest is the lily mosquito. He lays eggs in buds, and the appeared larvae gnaw on the foliage and spoil the appearance of the plant.
Dangerous diseases
Among bacterial ailments, one can distinguish:
- Root rot, which usually appears in spring. In this case, the foliage turns yellow and stops growth. The plant must be dug up and the affected roots removed. After flushing the root system in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Rust can only appear if patrinia grows nearby. As a prophylaxis, plants are periodically treated with fungicides.
- Fusariosis is a fungal disease. It causes drying of the leaves and general inhibition of the plant. In the early stages, the disease can be managed with fungicides. At later - it is recommended to simply remove the diseased bush.
Gardeners recommend periodically treating plants with insecticides and fungicides as a preventive measure.